Context of racialized assimilation: a case of second-generation Somali-Canadians

• Published in: Ethnic and racial studies 2023-04, Vol.46 (5), p.875-897
• Main Authors: Karimi, Aryan, Thompson, Sara, Bucerius, Sandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assimilation; Assimilation theory; Canada; Capital; Middle class; Mobility; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Race; Racialization; racialization context; racialized incorporation; Second generation; second-generations; Social mobility; Sociocultural factors; Somali; Subjective experiences; Theory
• ISSN: 0141-9870; 1466-4356
• DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2022.2100223

Can second-generation racialized Canadians cross racial and class boundaries into middle-class mainstream society? Currently, neo-assimilation theory anticipates identificational and socioeconomic assimilation into the mainstream, while segmented-assimilation theory argues that racial and economic structures inhibit racialized groups' assimilation. An emerging strand of assimilation theory - racialized incorporation - hypothesizes that, for racialized individuals, higher sociocultural capital leads to socioeconomic upward mobility, while their identificational and socioeconomic assimilation remain constrained by racial hierarchies. We draw on 118 qualitative interviews with second-generation Somali-Canadians to assess which of these perspectives best describes their subjective experiences of assimilation in Canada. Though we find support for the racialized assimilation hypothesis, our participants' socioeconomic achievements exceed the predictions of this perspective. We, therefore, argue that, under Canadian multiculturalism policies and ideology, race is an attitudinal hurdle to navigate rather than a structural barrier against assimilation. We invite future research to consider the contextualized effects of race on assimilation.